Presentation for Product Camp Silicon Valley 2012. 10 UX principles for product managers.

1. UxD For Product Managers (Heroes) –
Research & Design Techniques For The Real World
Mary Piontkowski
mpiontkowski@macadamian.com

2. “A hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice his own needs on
behalf of others, like a shepherd who will sacrifice to protect and
serve his flock.” - Christopher Vogler.
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5. 5

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9. Confidential 3/24/12 9

10. 10
Principles
For
The
Real
World
10

11. #1:
Prac8ce
What
You
Preach
11

12. #1:
Prac8ce
What
You
Preach
 Consider
user
needs
and
research
 Incorporate
UX
methodologies
 Collaborate
 Push
back
 Embrace
change
 Bring
in
others
to
complement
your
skill
set
 What
else?
12

13. #2:
Break
Down
Walls
–
Rela8onships
MaCer
13

14. #2:
Break
Down
Walls
–
Rela8onships
MaCer
 Don’t
throw
it
over
the
wall!
 Interdisciplinary
collaboraCon
 CollaboraCve
project
planning
 CollaboraCve
requirements
and
design
sessions
 Sketchboards
and
design
thinking
 Actually
talk
to
people
 Trust
 EmoConal
literacy
–
know
who
you’re
talking
to
and
appreciate
the
context
 It
takes
Cme
to
build
relaConships…
 But
your
design
iteraCon
Cme
will
be
reduced!
14

15. #3:
Give
a
Damn;
Care
About
Your
Work
15

16. #3:
Give
a
Damn;
Care
About
Your
Work
 Or
find
another
job
 You’re
not
going
to
do
great
work
if
you
don’t
believe
in
your
product
 Care
about
the
product
and
the
users
16

17. #4:
Support
the
Cause;
Evangelize
for
User
Research
and
UX
Design
17

18. #4:
Support
the
Cause;
Evangelize
for
User
Research
and
UX
Design
 Doesn’t
maPer
who’s
doing
the
UX
–
you
win
 RepeCCon,
data-­‐driven
points
 Invest
Cme
required
for
change
 Create
an
environment
conducive
to
design
and
innovaCon
 Brown
bags
 Conferences
 White
boards
 Sharpies
 RelaConships!
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19. #5:
Don’t
Be
Shy,
Get
to
Know
Your
Users
19

20. #5:
Don’t
Be
Shy,
Get
to
Know
Your
Users
 Internal
research
team
 External
research
team
 Friends
of
friends
 Friends,
coworkers,
people
on
the
street,
everyone!
 But…
Your
wife/husband
is
not
your
user
 Context
too!
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21. #5:
Don’t
Be
Shy,
Get
to
Know
Your
Users
Many
Ways
to
Get
User
Feedback
 ObservaCon
 Usability
 Contextual
inquiry
 Surveys
 ParCcipatory
design
 Internal
brainstorms
with
SMEs
 Card
sorCng
and
structured
in
person
acCviCes
21

22. #5:
Don’t
Be
Shy,
Get
to
Know
Your
Users
Consider
Context
–
Where?
What
Else
is
Going
On?
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23. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
23

24. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
 Design
thinking
approach
 Agile
and
iteraCve
 Cross-­‐disciplinary
 User-­‐centric
 Methods
worth
adopCng
 Personas,
mental
models,
design
principles
and
other
user-­‐centric
models
 Usage
scenarios/use
cases
 Sketchboards,
paper
prototypes,
and
other
collaboraCve
design
techniques
 User
research
as
a
part
of
the
design
process
 Allow
design
to
inform
requirements
 Simplify
simplify
simplify
where
you
can
 Process
guidelines
to
help
organizaCon
cooperate
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25. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
Simple
Models
To
Help
Educate
and
Evangelize
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26. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
Documented
Process
–
How
Would
Your
OrganizaCon
Benefit?
 Reinforce
collaboraCon
and
check
points
 Include
guidelines
knowing
everyone
won’t
really
follow
the
process
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27. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
Documented
Process
–
How
Would
Your
OrganizaCon
Benefit?
 You
don’t
want
to
end
up
with
this!
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28. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
Personas
As
A
Tool
To
Rally
The
Troops
 People
typically
connect
with
stories
bePer
than
reports
 Paint
a
picture
of
key
user
types
 Demonstrate
use
cases
and
priority
tasks
 Use
a
quote
to
express
the
impact
the
product
has
on
the
user
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29. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
Sketch
Sketch
Sketch
 Explore
more
ideas
faster
 It
takes
a
while
to
get
it
right
 Sketchboards
as
a
collaboraCve
design
tool
 Roll
it
up
and
take
it
with
you
29

30. #6:
Learn,
Adopt,
and
Encourage
UX
Techniques
Different
Audiences
Require
Different
Methods
 Who
are
you
trying
to
convince?
Confidential 3/24/12 30

31. #7:
Beware
of
UX
Top
10
Lists
and
Dogma8c
Advice
Checklists
are
helpful.
But
they
can’t
replace
experCse.
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32. #7:
Beware
of
UX
Top
10
Lists
and
Dogma8c
Advice
 Like
this
one!

 “Make
sure
users
can
get
to
everything
in
three
clicks!”
 One
list
isn’t
the
end
all,
be
all
–
it’s
not
that
simple
 Figure
out
what
works
for
you
and
your
organizaCon
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33. #8:
If
You
Like
It,
Steal
It
33

34. #8:
If
You
Like
It,
Steal
It
 It
doesn’t
need
to
be
your
idea
 Learn
from
people,
processes,
methods,
and
designs
out
there
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35. #9:
Break
Some
Rules
The
first
mouse.
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36. #9:
Break
Some
Rules
 Design
something
out
of
scope
 ParCcipate
in
an
unexpected
way
 Data
is
important,
but
so
is
insCnct!
 Get
users
involved
regardless
of
scope
 Don’t
be
afraid
to
be
wrong
 Throw
it
out
and
start
again
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37. #10:
Have
Fun!
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38. You
Can’t
Become
a
Hero
Overnight
 Pick
one
thing
to
start
with:
 Invite
a
designer
to
collaborate
on
requirements
 Call
a
cross
funcConal
brainstorm
 Print
out
sketch
templates
 IdenCfy
one
piece
of
user
feedback
that
would
help
your
product
 IdenCfy
one
type
of
project
that
would
benefit
from
formalized
UX
process
 Share
this
presentaCon
with
coworkers
 Reach
out
to
a
UX
agency
or
individual
for
help
 You
don’t
need
to
do
it
all
yourself,
but
you
need
to
enable
it!
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39. Thank
You!
 Was
this
inspiring?
 Are
you
walking
away
with
at
least
one
acConable
technique?
Mary Piontkowski
Director, User Experience
mpiontkowski@macadamian.com
END, THANK YOU!
Confidential 3/24/12 39

40. Referenced
Resources
 The
Designful
Company:
How
to
build
a
culture
of
nonstop
innovaAon,
Marty
Neumeier
 InnovaAon
Workshop,
Marty
Neumeier
 Switch:
How
to
Change
Things
When
Change
is
Hard,
Chip
Heath
and
Dan
Heath
 Change
by
Design:
How
Design
Thinking
Transforms
OrganizaAons
and
Inspired
InnovaAon,
Tim
Brown
 Inside
Apple,
Adam
Lashinsky
Sketchboard
Resources:
 hPp://www.adapCvepath.com/ideas/sketchboards-­‐discover-­‐bePer-­‐faster-­‐ux-­‐soluCons
 hPp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVFTBj_BYy0
 hPp://www.slideshare.net/ugleah/sketchboards-­‐prototypes-­‐presentaCon
Persona
Resources:
 hPp://www.cooper.com
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